Fence



No.- 6I6,970. Patented. I an. 3, I899.

. c. J. numn, v

F E N 0 E.

(Application filed Nov. 80, 1897.)

(No Model'.)

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UNITE STATES PATENT OIFFICE.

CHARLES J. QUINN, OF SCRANTON, IOIVA.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 616,970, dated January3, 1899.

Application filed November 80, 1897. Serial No. 660,253. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. QUINN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Scranton, in the county of Greene and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Fence, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to fences, and particularly to wire-fenceconstruction wherein the runners are of smooth wire; and the object inview is to provide a fence composed of smooth-surfaced runners and stayswherein the ties which are employed to connect' the runners and stays attheir points of intersection constitute simple and efficienthorizontally-projecting spurs or barbs to prevent stock from rubbing orleaning against the structure, and thereby breaking down or otherwiseinjuring the same.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a portion of a fence constructedinaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view in perspectiveof one of the runner and stay sections, showing the tie in its operativeposition. Fig. 3 is a side view of the same, showing the runner insection. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the tie-loops prior to itsapplication to a fence.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawlngs. V

The runners 1, as illustrated in the drawings, are of the cable orplural-strand construction; but it will be understood that this featureis not indispensable, as an efficient fence can be constructed inaccordance with my invention by the use of a single-strand runner. 4 Ihave found in practice, however, that the plural-strand or twistedrunners cooperate with the runner-connecting stays 2 to preventdisplacement of the latter parallel with the runners, and as a means ofpreventing vertical displacement of the runners with relation to thestays, I have adopted a corrugated or crimped construction of stay, thusforming a plurality of seats through which the runners are adapted toextend, the crimps being sui'liciently small to allow the runners to bearranged at any desired intervals. i

The runners and stays are secured together at their points ofintersection'by a tie or look 3, constructed of a looped Wire, which, asshown in Fig. 4, has its looped extremity de flected, as at 3, to engagethe runner at one side of the plane of the stay, while the arms or legsof the loop pass in rear of the stay above and below the runner, andhence engage the forwardly-inclined portions of the contiguous crimp ofthe stay above and below the seat in which the runner is fitted. Thelegs of the loop are then brought forward to the front side of therunner and are twisted together, as shown at 4, being cut off at thedesired length to form a short projection or barb, which extendshorizontally forward from the runner and in the plane thereof. The cutnecessary to re move the surplus ends of the tie or look is madesubsequent to the intertwisting of the legs of the link and at a pointslightly beyond the outer end of the twist, the portions of the legswhich project beyond the twist being deflected or spread, as clearlyshown in Figs. 2 and 3.- The cut may be made by a single operation ofthe shears or cutting-tools, thus severing the legs of the loop at abevel; but as the fiat surfaces formed thereby are approximately in avertical plane the sharp points or edges project, respectively, upwardlyand downwardly. An important advantage of this barb and its arrangementis that while it serves to prevent stock from rubbing against the fenceit is not sufficiently sharp to lacerate or otherwise injure the stock.In other words, the barbs have the effect of preventing the stock fromleaning or rubbing against the runners or stays by prodding themsufficiently to make such an attempt uncomfortable without tearing thehide or otherwise inflicting an injury.

Furthermore, the peculiar construction of fence adapts it to bemanufactured in continuous lengths suitable to be rolled fortransportationor tobe erected on the field by the use of ordinary tools,such as pliers or the equivalents thereof.

As above indicated, I preferably employ a crimped or corrugatedconstruction of stay and I dispose the plural-strand runners in theseats formed by the concave portions of the stays. The tie, whichconsists of a single blank of wire doubled upon itself at its center isengaged at this looped central portion with the front of the runner atone side of the plane of the stay, and from this point the arms of thetie are extended rearwardly, cross the stay in contact with the convexsurface of that crimp in which the runner is seated, thence extendforwardly to a point in front of the runner at the opposite side of theplane of the stay from said looped center of the tie, and are thentwisted together to form the barbed construction above described. Thusthe tie has two bearings upon the runner, and as the latter is oftwo-strand twisted construction the displacement of the stay parallelwith the runner by reason of the sliding of the tie upon the runner isprevented. The roughened surface of the runner prevents such slidingmovement. In the same way displacement of the stay vertically or in adirection transverse to the runner is prevented by the engagement at thetwo bearing-points of the tie with the convex side of the stay-seatrespectively above and below the plane of the runner. bearing of the tieupon the stay are respectively above and below the point of greatestdeflection of the seat or crimp in which the runner is arranged anddisplacement in either direction of the tie with relation to the stay isefiectually prevented.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be Thus the points of,

resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is-- In a fence, thecombination of plural-strand runners, crimped or corrugated staysintersecting the runners, and having the runners seated, respectively,in the concave sides of the crimps, and ties engaging the runners andstays at their point of intersection, each tie consisting of a singleblank of wire doubled upon itself at its center to form a loop which isengaged with the front side of a run ner at one side of the verticalplane of the intersecting stay, the arms or sides of said tie beingextended rearwardly, bearing against the rear or convex surface of thestay-crimp in which the runner is seated, respectively above and belowthe plane of the runner, and above and below the point of greatestdeflection of the seat from the medial line of the stay, and said armsor sides of the tie thence extending forwardly, respectively above andbelow the plane of the runner, to a point in front of the latter, andbeing twisted together with the terminals thereof spread to form barbs,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. QUINN.

Witnesses:

J. H. WRIGHT, C. A. WILLETT.

